Floor dividing strip construction



Feb. 9, 1932. P. GALASSI 5 FLOOR DIVIDING STRIP CQNSTRUCTION Filed March 15, 1950 INVENTOR fQd/e Galess,

ATTOR Y Patented Feb. 9, 1932 rAsQUALE GALASSI, on NEW YORK, n. Y.

rnoon mvrnme s'rRIr CONSTRUCTION Application filed March 15, 1930. Serial No. 436,139.

This invention relates to dividing strips for terrazzo and similar floors and more particularly refers toimprovements in dividing strips consisting of two sections joined to- 6 get-her, said sections being made of two different metals.

Terrazzo, granolithic, stucco and similar floors usually comprise a lower or foundation bed made of concrete or cement or mor- IO'tar or other suitable material, and an upper or finishing layer generally consisting of a mixture of marble chips and cement, by meansofwhich a gooddurablesurface may be obtained as well as pleasing designs and color effects of a practicallyiunlimited va riety."

in position after the. foundation layer has been allowed to harden to a'suificient degree 50 of consistency, is generally divided into a number of'panels or units in a predetermined arrangement, whichare obtained by outlining the desired design by meansof dividing strips placed on or through the foundation "layer. i

These bars are generally made of relatively soft metal such as brass for instance,the

wearing qualities of which are approximately equal to those, of the floor itself; and according to the nature of the floor and of the design to be produced, the dividing strips may be of various thicknesses and lengths.

Relatively thin strips may readily be obtained out of sheet metal, and are suitable forfloors of moderate size; however. relatively large floors, or floors composed of rela tively. large units, call for strips having sufficientrigidity to Withstand. thelateral pressure of the material without bulging. when the floor is laid. These heavier strips are also generally made out of sheet metal but brass being expensive material, their use ma- .ter-iallyincreases the'cost of the n00}: At times the ornamental features are such, as

through the material, and in these cases, the cost is still higher. i

.1 In order to .keep the cost of the product within reasonable limits therefore, itjis im- 'Therupper layer which is generally placed tween the upper and the lower section in ways different from and at times easier to effect to require extra thick metallic strips showing portant to reduce as much as possible the quantity of material used for the portion of the stripwhich is showing through, this being done without however, impairing the usefulness and strength of the product.

In another patent application, entitledBimetallic dividing strips for floors, No. 380,669, copendingherewith, I have described and claimedstrips comprising a relatively thick upper. section provided witha longitudinal groove alongits lower edge and a relatively thin lowersection having its up per edge forced within said groove.

I have found thatat times it is preferable to use an upper section in theform {of a drawn or .extrudedor rolled bar formedwith ,65 alaterally extending flange, as described and r claimed inanotherpatent application, enti tled Sectional dividingstrip for floors, filed simultaneously herewith.

However, especially drawn shapes cost considerably more than standard sections, and therefore when costis a primary consideration it is desirable to use for the upper section only standard bars which can be readily found on the market. y 3'5 Flat bars of the required thickness and width are,of course, those best suited for the purpose, and I have found that itispossible to obtain a; ri 'id andelfective connection bethan the way described in my above entitled application, Bimetallic dividing strips for floors, Ser. No. 380,669.

The primary object of the present inven-. tion is to provide in a strip of the character specified, an upper section consisting of a flat metallic bar, said upper section being formed with a longitudinal groove adapted to receive the upper edge of the lower section,the connection between two sections" being effected by means not necessarily requiring the appli cation of end pressure. i

Another object of the invention is to provide in a strip of the character specified, a

novel and improved arrangement for effecting a positive and rigid connection between the two sections composing the strip.

. Other objects and advantages of the present invention willmorefully appear asthe 7% description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

Several embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which 1* Figs. 1 to 7 are fragmentary views in perspective of dividing strips embodying my invent-ion in different forms; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of a terrazzo floor showing a strip of the type shown in Fig. 3 in position.

The strip illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises an upper section consisting of a flat relatively thick bar 10 and a lower section consisting of a relatively thin strip 11.

The upper section is provided along one of its sides close to the lower edge thereof, with an inwardly directed upwardly inclined groove 12, the width of which is preferably such as to provide a tight fit for the upper edge of the lower section. Said upper edge indicated at 13 is bent laterally of the body of the lower section to form a flanged portion 14 inclined to the vertical at an angle corresponding to the inclination of groove 12. Said flange is inserted within groove 12 as shown and is secured therein in any suitable manner.

If the groove is made with a tight fit as suggested it is, of course, sufficient to exert pressure to force flange 14 within said groove and a rigid connection between the sections will result, the flange being locked in position by friction. On the other hand it will be understood that if desired, welding or soldering operations may be resorted to.

The lower section is preferably provided with anchoring means which may be of any suitable type, for instance in the form of ears or lugs 15 struck off and bent laterally of the body of the lower section, as shown.

In Fig. 2 I illustrate a strip in which the upper section 16 also consists of a relatively thick flat bar having a longitudinal downwardly inclined groove 17 out along one of 5 its sides. The lower section 18 has its upper edge bent downwardly at an angle to correspond with the inclination of groove 17 forming a flange 19 which is inserted and retained within said groove. Like in the previous case, the connection between the two sections may be effected by friction or in any other suitable manner. The lower section is also preferably provlded with anchoring means whlch are shown in this case in the form of open top cup members 20 struck off the body in Fig. 2 without resorting to the application of pressure to force the flanged upper edge of the lower section within the groove, and without resorting to other operations such as welding or soldering. This can be effected in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 where the upper section 21 is provided with a longitudinal downwardly inclined groove 22 along one of its sides, and the lower section 23 has its upper edge bent downwardly to form an inclined flange 2 1 adapted to register with and to be inserted within groove 22.

When flange 25 has been inserted within groove 22, the side surface of lower section 23 abuts against the side surface of upper section 21 as shown in Fig. 2. If now the lower section is bent inwardly to abut against the lower surface of upper section 21 as shown at 25 and then downwardly to provide a rib portion for the strip, a permanent male and female connection will result between the tenon 26' formed by groove 22 and by the lower right hand edge of upper section 21, and the channeled structure 27 formed by the outwardly, upwardly and inwardly bent upper edge of the lower section.

Said connection will be sufficient to secure-' ly look the two sections together without the application of other joining means.

Also in this case the lower section is shown provided with anchoring means in the form of'ears or lugs 28. The manner of connecting the two sections shown in Fig. 1 may also be improved as shown in Fig. i where 29 designates the upper section provided with an inwardly directed upwardly inclinedgroove 30 in proximity of one of its lower edges.

Like in the case of Fig. 1 the upper edge of lower section 31 is bent to form upwardly inclined flange 32 adapted to'register with and to be inserted within groove 30. The body of the lower section is then bent inwardly to A form a horizontal tract 33 abutting against the lower surface of upper section 29 and then is bent downwardly at- 34 to form a rib portion for the strip.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 5 it is not necessary for the groove to provide a tightfit for the upper edge of the lower section. In the same, 35 designates the upper section which is formed with a longitudinal lip 36 depending from one side thereof, and

with a longitudinal vertical groove 37 along its lower surface adjacent said 11p.

The lower section 38 has 1ts upper edge bent outwardl to form a flan e ortion 39 abutting against the lower surface of upper section 35 and bent upwardly to form a vertical rib portion 10 insertable within groove 37. After rib 40 has been inserted in position, lip 36 is bent inwardly against the lower surface of flange 39 as shown and the two sections will be securely locked to each other.

Still another construction is shown in Fig. 6 where 41 designates the upper section which is in the form of a relatively thick flat bar provided with a longitudinal inwardly directed horizontal groove 42, and 413 designates the lower section the upper edge of which is bent laterally thereof to form a horizontal flange 44;, the outer edge of which is inserted and retained within groove 42.

It will be observed that in this case, part of flange 44 extends laterally of upper section 41 and thus provides positioning and anchoring means for the strip. It is also hook sectioned channeled rib member 51 adapted to interlock with tenon 52 formed by the lower surface of groove 46 and by the lower right hand edge of upper section 45.

It will be observed that the connection thus effected between the two sections is equivalent to that described in connection with 3 except that the flange portion 48 projects beyond the lower left hand edge of upper section to form a projecting flange portion 53 j which acts as anchoring means for the strip.

In Fig. 8, 54 designates a floor foundation, 55 the lower layer of a terrazzo floorand 56 the upper layer. Lower section 57 of a. strip of the type shown in Fig. 3 is inserted through he lower layer until thelower surface of flange portion 58 of the lower section rests against the upper surface of lower layer 55.

Thus flange 58 acts as positioning means for the strip determiningthe depth at which it has to project through the lower layer and also determining its vertical alignment. At the same time the distance between the lower surface of flange 58 and the upper surface 59 of upper section 60 determines the depth of the upper layer 56. i

It is obvious that my invention may he embodied in strips of various designs and con structions different from those shown; the drawings will therefore be understood as be- Ing intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense. Accordingly, I reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dividing trip for. terrazzo and like floors, comprising an upper and a lower section, said upper section consisting of a relatively thick flat bar having a transversely extending longitudinal groove along one of its side surfaces in proximity of its lower edge, and said lower section consisting of a relatively thin strip having its upper edge portion bent to extend laterally thereof and abutting against the lower surface of said upper section, said edge portion being further tending bent upwardly and inwardly with its edge inserted and retained within said groove.

2. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors, comprising an upper and a lower section, said upper section consisting of a relatively thick flat bar having a transversely extending longitudinal groove along one of its side surfaces in proximity of its lower edge, and said lower section consisting of a relatively thin strip having its upper edge portion bent to extend laterally thereof and abutting against the lower surface of said upper section, said edge portion being further bent upwardly to abut against the side of said upper section and having its edge bent inwardly and inserted and retained within said groove.

3. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors, comprising an upper and a lower section, said upper section consisting of a relatively thick fiat bar having a transversely exlongitudinal groove along one of its side surfaces in proximity 'of its lower edge, and said lower section consisting of a relatively thin strip having its upper edge portion bent to extend laterally thereof and abutting against the lower surface of said upper section, said edge portion being further bent upwardly and inwardly with its edge inserted and retained within said groove, and means integral with said lower section for anchoring said strip.

4. A dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors, comprising an upper and a lower section, said upper section consisting of a relatively thick flat bar having a longitudinal groove in its lower portion, and said lower section consisting of a relatively thin strip having its upper edge portion bent to extend laterally thereof and abutting against the lower surface of said upper section, said edge portion being further bent upwardly and in wardly with its edge inserted and retained within said groove.

5. A dividing strip for terrazzo or similar floors, comprising an upper longitudinally'extending relatively thick bar member having a groove near the lower edge thereof, said groove extending longitudinally of said bar and having a transverse opening, and a lower relatively thin strip member having a ver tically extending portion and an upper transin said groove.

PASQUALE GALASSI. 

